I've only just approached the world of classic cars, even if only in a "virtual" way (through a magazine and through your site - I enjouy driving my 1987 Prisma i.e.). I've just realized how Italy still has to make up for lost time (as usual) both in the field of cars in general (wild car scrapping, terrorist rumours about compulsory scrapping or catalysing, and it gets wors if you follow the news on TV), and in the field of classic cars, which is a field in which few have ventured.

I think that Italy, with all its wealth of automotive tradition, lacks the right feeling in the politicians, and lacks the right culture from car drivers. The drivers, in particular, are very ill-advised in a malicious way. You just have to visit a scrapyard to understand what the Italians have been capable of throwing to the wind for the little money offered by the Government, or for the politics of car showrooms that don't accept non-catalytic cars (something that could be considered a criminal offense in some cases). Right next to cars really worth scrapping, thare are virtually perfect cars, with low mileages and good maintenance. The only hope of survival
for these car is often an owner of a scrapyard with a good knowledge of cars and a conscience.

In the meantime people think they have to scrap their old car only because it's non-catalytic (when it couldn't be converted so as to meet the necessary requirements), or that driving them will become impossible after leaded will have disappeared from gas stations. Leaded fuel in civilized countries like Germany, Austria and (since last year) Switzerland, is a thing of the past but nobody dreams of scrapping their classic or their old but still worth keeping car.

Today I'm very happy to drive a Lancia that (despite what our rulers and the media say and try to make you believe) is still ingreat shape,
has no fuel problems and, if they let me, won't be seing the crusher for quite a few years to come!